- 312 9th Street SW, Waverly, Iowa 50677
- (319) 352-4120
What to Expect
Taking charge of your health requires a personal commitment. We are here to support your weight loss goals. Our experienced team is dedicated to improving your well-being through personalized care, education and support. We offer a complete program designed to help you through every step of your weight loss journey.
Getting started
The first step for the Healthy You Program is to fill our Patient Health Questionnaire and return it to our office. Our team will review your information to determine if you are eligible for the program. A nurse will call you with questions and if it appears you may qualify, she will set up a consult with the team.
Your consult will take about two hours. During the visit, you will meet with the nurse pracitioner to go over your medical history. She will also talk with you about surgical weight loss choices so you can make an informed decision. In addition to the nurse practitioner, you will meet with the nurse and insurance expert. If you decide to start the program, you will get information on the next steps you need to take.
Your insurance requirements for weight loss surgery will vary based on your specific insurance plan. Below are the most common insurance plan requirements.
- Clinical diagnosis of your medical conditions
- Documentation of professionally/medically supervised diet plans in the past three to six months
- Referral letter from primary physician may be needed
- Copies of your medical records
- A psychological evaluation
- Dietary evaluation
Are you worried about whether your insurance will cover your weight loss surgery? We have a health insurance expert to help guide you through the process. To learn more about financing and insurance, click here.
Surgery options
We want the best for our patients, so we offer minimally invasive surgery options. This means smaller incisions, which allows you to heal faster with less pain and scarring. Laparoscopic surgery is done through five or six very small cuts, using small tubes, video cameras and surgical tools. These small cuts mean less pain, less external scarring and healing that will occur faster than traditional open surgery.
Gastric sleeve surgery
The laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is a surgery in which the surgeon removes about 85 percent of the stomach, shaping the remaining stomach into a tube or “sleeve.” This limits the amount of food that can be ingested at any given time without altering the normal absorption of vitamins and minerals. It also greatly decreases hunger by removing the part of the stomach that makes the main hunger stimulating hormone.
This surgery is best for extremely obese people (BMI greater than 50). It is also recommended for people with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), pancreas and liver problems, or an organ transplant.
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Pros
Cons
Source: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases |
Gastric bypass surgery (Roux-en-Y)
During this method, the stomach is stapled to make a smaller pouch. Then, most of the stomach and intestines are bypassed as the small stomach pouch is attached to part of the small intestine. This aids weight loss by limiting the amount of food you can eat and reducing the amount of fat and calories you absorb.
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Pros
Cons
Source: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases |
After surgery
You will meet with Dr. Glascock one week after surgery to make sure you are healing well. At six months, you will meet with the nurse practitioner. Before this visit, lab tests will be ordered so your nutrition status can be reviewed to decide if you need more vitamins or supplements. At one-year post-surgery and each year after, you will have lab tests and meet with the nurse practitioner to make sure you are reaching and maintaining your weight loss goals.
Our dietitian will be working closely with you after surgery to help you with your food plans. You will meet with her one day after surgery and again at two weeks, six weeks, three months and nine months. In addition to the scheduled visits, you are welcome to call our dietitian as needed. She will gladly answer questions.
Weight loss surgery is the start of your journey to change your body and your life. But surgery alone will not allow you to meet your health and wellness goals. After surgery, you need to take important steps to reach and keep a healthy weight.
- Make a commitment to change your lifestyle. This includes a healthy diet, exercise and behavior changes.
- Keep your appointments with the Healthy You team.
- Attend support group meetings.
- Exercise for 30 to 45 minutes 5 to 6 times a week for life. Start out slowly after your surgery.
- Take the recommend supplements or vitamins every day for life.
- Get mental health counseling if your doctor recommends it.
- Focus on your strengths and emphasize them. What do you do well? What do you enjoy?
